The Power of We

Language is important. How you talk about your company or describe an idea can be the difference between winning and losing. The way you phrase something can make a tremendous impact on the initial opinion or first impression that someone makes about you. Each word you say matters, but every day I hear people miss the opportunity to use the most powerful word there is–We. Those two little letters have made their mark on history, including the start to the most powerful document ever written, a declaration of a nation’s beliefs to an oppressive sovereign, and the beginning of the most global of all organizations.

We the People of the United States

We hold these Truths to be self-evident

Yet, when people talk about ideas or make recommendations, they often say, “I think” or “I chose to” when “We believe” is significantly more powerful. More importantly, nothing ever happens at an agency because of one person. Someone created a strategy, another person had an idea, someone else refined it, a different team member brought it to life, and an additional person got the opportunity to get in the room. There are usually another dozen or so people that helped in some form along the way. So “I” doesn’t work. “I” isolates. “I” weakens. “I” doesn’t happen at an agency. “We” happens. “We” did this. “We” think that. “We” believe this will change how you do business. Clients don’t pay for “I,” they pay for “we.” What we collectively think as an agency is the way forward. It’s not groupthink, but a discussion. A collection of thoughts and ideas that helps us find a comprehensive solution to the business problem.

The book, “Tribal Leadership,” details how companies are more successful when “we” is used rather than “I.” The authors looked at email correspondence and compared usage of the two terms across company email communications. The “we” companies tend to be more successful by numerous measures than their “I” counterparts. Whether it’s a cause or a correlation, individuals at winning companies use the power of “we.”

There is a “We” in Walk West. And yes, we liked that about the name when we selected it because we believe Walk West can do great things, together. We will slip up here and there and say “I,” but each one of us truly understands that we are a team, and we do believe in a shared vision. So next time you hear us give a recommendation or pitch an idea, you’re not hearing one person’s opinion, but rather something that we, as a team, believe will help you meet your business objectives.